A Thousand Words
by Luna Addictus
Summary: Rikuo, as a youkai, had no problem whatsoever in talking it out with a certain little lady, but as a human, well, he'd bet his Nenekirimaru that he could say a thousand words, and yet, couldn't get the message across. ONESHOT. Please read and review!


**Title: A Thousand Words**

**Genre: General/Romance**

**Rating: T**

**Pairing: Rikuo/Tsurara**

**Summary:** Rikuo, as a youkai, had no problem whatsoever in talking it out with a certain little lady, but as a human, well, he'd bet his Nenekirimaru that he could say a thousand words, and yet, couldn't get the message across. ONESHOT

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><p>Disclaimer: Nurarihyon no Mago and its characters are not mine, I wish they were so I'd have my pretty RikuoTsurara and Kuro/Torii ending, hahahaha…

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><p>Note:<p>

_italics _– youkai!Rikuo, thoughts, used as communication with human!Rikuo

'with apostrophe_'_ – human!rikuo, thoughts, used as communication with youkai!Rikuo

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><p><strong>A Thousand Words<strong>

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><p>Nura Rikuo stared at the bright full moon in the sky; it was just as the weather forecast said, clear skies and not a drop of rain. He walked right before his favorite spot in their garden, and told himself that tonight was the night he had been waiting for.<p>

_Right. But can I just remind you that last night you also thought that was the night, didn't you?_

'Shut up.' The young master said to his _other_ self, knowing that he was mocking him.

_What? Truth hurts, doesn't it, my little human self? To think you even prepared some idiotic speech for her!_

'I did not prepare a speech like that!'

_So you did make one?_

'I…!' Rikuo did not like the path to which this _inner monologue_ was going. Not to mention that _he was losing this discussion to his self_.

'Just keep quiet there, okay?' he thought, 'I've got this!'

_Oh yes, you do. Daytime me, you sure do._

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><p>"You called for me, Rikuo-sama?"<p>

"Aa," Rikuo turned. Before him was his Hyakki Yakuo's yuki-onna, Tsurara, smiling cheerfully as usual, "Do you want to go up?"

"Eh? Up where, Rikuo-sama?"

"Up there," Rikuo pointed at his favorite spot up in the weeping willow, and then, without much notice, his youkai self intervened, "Not that I'm taking a no for an answer, Tsurara."

She barely had time to react (and was too surprised by the awesomeness of Rikuo of the night) and so the next thing she knew, she was sitting on top of her master's favorite branch.

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><p>'Why…! Why did you do that?'<p>

_I can't stand seeing you being pathetic, that's why._

'I told you, this is my business!'

_So you're telling me, this isn't my business too? Isn't that too cruel? May I remind you, daytime me, that it is at night that we do the deed, not during daytime!_

Rikuo blushed at what his youkai self just said, "That… that has _nothing_ to do with this!"

_Of course, it does._

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><p>"Oh shut up!" Rikuo suddenly blurted out. He was met with furrowed brows from the yuki-onna, "But I barely said anything yet, Rikuo-sama!"<p>

"It's not you, it's… the other me!" he exclaimed.

"But you're the same as your night form, Rikuo-sama."

"I know! I'm not really making sense now, am I?"

Tsurara sighed and gave her master a smile, "But that what makes you 'you', right, Rikuo-sama?"

Rikuo smiled at her answer, she had never ceased to amaze him with her loyalty to him.

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><p><em>You do know that it's not just 'loyalty' we're talking here, right?<em>

'Seriously, can't I have a single thought without you interrupting me?'

_This is a serious matter, did you know that?_

'Of course, I do! That's why _I_ have to do it!'

_Don't you think that it would be much better if _I_ do the talking? We're talking about long term… _

'I know! But I really want to do it! I want to tell her myself!'

_Oh really, you do._

'Yeah.'

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><p>Tsurara just turned her gaze at the sky, since her master seemed to be either in deep thought, or suddenly had the urge to stop talking. She pondered as she stared at the full moon hanging helplessly at the star-filled sky. She loved the silence, though wondering also why she hadn't seen Gozu or Mezo hanging around the tree. They seemed to have taken a liking for their leader's favorite tree. Her eyes fell to her master's young face – he was still so young, and yet, he was burdened with so many responsibilities… but she never doubted his abilities, nor did she ever doubt any of his so-called 'sides'. Well, except probably for the time that she found out that she was not the only one who could perform <em>matoi<em> with him; she gave a small sigh at the memory. Silly me, thinking I was special…

"You… you have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen, did you know?" Rikuo suddenly said in a voice that made Tsurara get the chills up and down her spine, and for sure it has nothing to do with cold!

"Ri-Rikuo-sama…!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"I… I mean, they're really pretty… and… I, uhm…"

_Hahahaha!_ The youkai self of Rikuo found himself amused once again, by the antics of his… well, to lack of better term, self. _Seriously, you don't have anything much better, human me…? If that's the case, I guess, I'll just have to do it myself…_

Tsurara blinked as Rikuo's hair turned from brown to white, and his eyes from brown to a bright shade of red. In a matter of seconds, she found herself just centimeters away from Rikuo's _handsome _face.

"You look flustered, Tsurara, does my presence bother you so much?"

Cannot. Comprehend. What. Is. Happening. Right. Now.

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><p>'Hey! Don't take the spotlight from me!'<p>

_But I AM you, you know._

'But this is…!'

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><p>The next thing Rikuo knew, he was centimeters away from Tsurara's face, "T-Tsu-Tsurara…! I can explain…!"<p>

"I… I must… humbly take my leave, Rikuo-sama!" exclaimed Tsurara, though deeply overwhelmed by the presence of her youkai master, was also confused of what was happening. Why was her dear master changing from human to youkai to human! And he was... he was…!

It was making her heart beat like crazy, making her feel hot all over her face, and it was making her mad! Mad to the point that she was on the verge of… no! Seriously no! She cannot seriously be thinking of…! This realization of what she'd want to do with her master turned the young servant into a deep shade of red; not only because of it, but because of embarrassment.

With this, the yuki-onna jumped off the weeping willow tree, away from her master. She hid her reddening face with the loose side of her scarf, not wanting Rikuo to see it, nor wanting him to realize what she was thinking just moments before.

"Wait…! Tsurara!"

How could she think of doing something like that…! To her master, nonetheless!

This newfound awareness of the feelings she never knew existed… no, scratch that! She knew exactly how she felt, but she suppressed it, not wanting her dear master to know of it… well, at least she tried.

"Don't go…!" shouted Rikuo, falling down from the tree. The yuki-onna turned around just in time for her to see Rikuo fall down from a tree and quickly rushed to her dearest master's side.

The feared supreme commander of the Nura clan fell from a tree. I repeat, _the quarter youkai who kicked ass since he accepted being the Third, he who slashed Tsuchigumo in half, the feared supreme commander of the Nura clan fell from a tree._

"That was dangerous, Rikuo-sama!" Tsurara exclaimed, taking out a handkerchief. She gasped as Rikuo held her hand, "Ri-Rikuo-sama…?"

Golden eyes met brown orbs, and his eyes didn't stray away from hers. They held each other's gaze that Tsurara did not even notice that she wasn't blushing at this awkward proximity with her young master. It was only when Rikuo spoke that her cheeks turned to three shades of pink.

"See what you do to me, Tsurara?" he said with all seriousness that he could muster.

"W-what do y-you me-mean, Ri-Rikuo-sama?" she stuttered at his words.

"I… I meant to say…" he almost fumbled as he reached out…

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><p><em>Oh human me, can't you even be even half as suave with women as I do?<em>

'Shut your trap! This is my goddamn moment!'

_If you don't want me stealing away another night of consciousness from you…_

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><p>"You don't even have to tell me…" the boy hissed at his other self, not knowing that he said it out loud.<p>

"Rikuo-sama? Uhm…? Your hand…" the girl pointed out, he was still holding her cold hands. He raised his hand, taking hers as well, and gave her a warm smile, "I know, Tsurara…"

"B-but… this is…!"

Now Tsurara was turning red.

He held her hand tighter, his eyes went from their joined hand, up to her arm, then to her shoulder, and then back to the yuki-onna's eyes.

"Can't you see what you do to me, Tsurara?"

"I… I don't… I don't understand what you're talking about, Rikuo-sama…" she stuttered, and looked away from his penetrating stare, unable to think straight.

Oh kami, why did her master have this kind of effect on her! She was just supposed to serve him… as an aide! She was not entitled to push the limits of their relationship as master and servant!

"Look at me, straight to my eyes, Tsurara," he said. He would've liked to tell her that it's an order, so she wouldn't have a choice; however, he wouldn't really like to impose his power of position in this situation.

The ice maiden hesitated for a moment; however, she reassured herself that she shouldn't be making such a big fuss with this. She should never think too much, after all, her master might just be telling something akin to wanting her to improve or something.

Yeah, right.

To her dismay, she was met with another melting gaze from her master, making her heart thump a little more faster than before, making her blush a little more, and making her much more confused than she was supposed to be.

"Tsurara," Rikuo gulped, "I don't know how to tell you, but… I think… you're a very important person to me."

"O-oh… you mean, as a part of your Hyakki Yakou, Rikuo-sama?" she immediately exclaimed as if not wanting him to say something more than that, "I'm not useless to you?"

"No," Rikuo shook his head, "Much… much more than that…"

With that, the master closed the gap between their faces, between their lips…

But then, Tsurara exclaimed, pulling away, "Are you playing with my feelings, Rikuo-sama? Please, stop playing around with them!"

"Tsurara!" he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to him, with her back pressed against him. Tsurara did not know whether he was capable of using his fear to immobilize his enemy because she was very much frozen in her tracks. He placed his free arm around her, with his lips barely touching her ear, "I am not kidding around, Tsurara."

He could feel the nervousness emanating from Tsurara's cold body. How could she think that he was just joking? He was very serious!

"Tsurara… please remember, I am not fond of making fun or playing with someone's feelings. I do not take lightly of youkai who make others suffer by using their love against the person they care for." A memory… a painful memory of his father and his youkai wife's tragedy immediately played through Rikuo's mind.

"B-but the human girl…!"

"You mean Kana-chan?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed bitterly, "You think… you think she's important, don't you, Rikuo-sama?"

"Aa. She is." He answered quite simply.

"So why?" she muttered, almost losing her strength at what her master had just said, "Why? Why are you doing this? You like her, not me!"

"What are you talking about?" he whispered in her ear, "Kana-chan… is an important friend of mine, just as Kiyotsugu, Shima, Torii and Maki are… although she is still my childhood friend…"

"But… I can remember it clearly, Rikuo-sama… how you first turned into your Night form… it was for her…"

"Silly Tsurara," she felt him smile, "Kana-chan was the only friend I had that time, of course I'd care about her."

"That is not at all true! You… like her! You like her much more than just a friend! You turned into a youkai in broad daylight for her…! You never did for us…!"

Rikuo let out a sigh, "Is that how you thought it was?"

Tsurara's heart pounded so much, it hurt. Not only because of what she said hurt herself, but the way Rikuo answered her fears.

"Do you think I could just let my friend die, Tsurara?" he asked her wistfully, "Humans were getting attacked in front of me… I couldn't just run and watch as much more innocent people die. Does that satisfy you, Tsurara?"

"I… I don't know…"

Kami, kami, kami… why was this happening? True, it had been in her wildest and impossible dreams, but this…!

It was then that she suddenly spilled out her thoughts, "I… I'm… I'm just your loyal servant… trying to save me from the Tsuchigumo and everything you've done for me, you did because I'm part of your Hyakki Yakou…!"

Of course she was not _just_ part of his Hyakki Yakou, she dedicated her whole life to him, she could willingly die for him… but most of all she loved him with all of her heart. Who doesn't know about how she felt?

"Oh? Just?" he pulled her closer to him, if it was even possible. "Are you really serious about that?"

"Y-yes…" she stammered.

"Oh really? Because I don't think you're just my loyal servant."

"Huh?"

"True, I may or may not have done the same with the others… however, have you ever thought… that amongst everyone, _why always you_?"

"Because I… I'm always the one nearest to you…! And… I'm the weakest…"

"Why do you think like that? You're not the weakest, Tsurara, and you know it. It's… because you're the one who keeps on getting up to protect me."

"But Kuro and the others! They also do the same…!"

"I know that too. But who do you think makes me feel riled up whenever I see her hurt trying to protect me?"

"Ienaga?"

"You amuse me so much with all these denials, Tsurara," he said, "You… of course it's you. Because I… you…I like you."

"E-eh…?" the simple sentence made all the blood rush to her face, "I don't… I don't understand!"

In her years of service under the Nura clan, she knew it would be very hard. Her mother, Setsura had it rough, falling for the Supreme Commander, Nurarihyon who loved the human, Youhime. Setsura had already told her to keep her feelings to herself, so as not to get hurt the way she did, since it was

"I know it will be hard on you if you say yes… but I'll break the curse," Rikuo said, "I'll break it, so please wait… wait until I do."

"If I say 'yes'? The Kitsune's curse…?" she gasped.

What the heck was he talking about…? Unless… unless… unless he…!

"Tsurara, will-"

Wait! Wait…! I'm… I'm not ready for this…!

"- you-"

Waaaaahhh…! Ri-Rikuo-sama…! I…! I…!

"- marry-"

I'm feeling faint…! I'm dizzy…! I…! Uh…

"… me?"

With that, Tsurara had completely fainted.

"Tsu-Tsurara! H-hey!"

'_See… I knew this would happen. If he would've just let me do the proposing, then it would've been finished with less than a thousand words!'_

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><p>AN: Hehe, this one-shot is for **tsurara12012, Suki90, Princess Ran, Lonely Athena, Mayonaka no Sasayaki** and **FeuWitch**. Sorry if it's not good, I think I did really bad with youkai!Rikuo and human!Rikuo… -_-

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><p>I know, too much drama, and too much dragging it out. And not to mention extremely OOC Rikuo and Tsurara! I mean, if Rikuo proposed to Tsurara or something, it would end up with Tsurara jumping in RIkuo's arms, or Tsurara doing the proposing… haha…<p> 


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